Obama Afghanistan speech: Armour to his right, armour to his left

I am just glad that he is home. I enjoyed his speech. I thought he was very resolute. But I was also a little nervous considering what is happening over there.

It’s no accident that when President Barack Obama addressed the nation from Afghanistan, he was flanked by two armored trucks, one of them draped in an American flag.

Armored vehicles have become emblematic of the challenges the U.S. military has faced over the past decade – and of the uncertain future ahead.

The trucks – clearly visible on both sides of the president as he spoke Tuesday night – were Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, or MRAPs. To Obama’s right was an all-terrain vehicle developed by Oshkosh Corp. and to his left was an International MaxxPro MRAP, according to two sources familiar with military trucks.

MRAPs have played a pivotal role in Iraq and Afghanistan, where they were rushed to the front lines in 2007 to protect against roadside bombs, which had quickly become a top killer of U.S. troops in both countries.

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